Knysna’s youth put service above self
Worldwide there are more than 24 000 Rotary Interact clubs with more than half-a-million members, and with seven Interact clubs in Knysna – one at each of our high schools – World Interact Week (5 to 11 November) is rather special.
Interact is a club for teenagers supported by Rotary International in their various high-school communities, and in Knysna the Interact presidents for the current year are Lindokuhle Mabukane (Concordia High), Monalisa Madondo (Keurbosch School), Mzuyabda Oliphant (Knysna High), Nadia Beyleveld (Knysna Montessori), Faith de Klerk (Knysna Secondary), Sophia Trollip (Oakhill College), and Ayabulela Zangana (Percy Mdala High).
Clubs initiate projects to benefit their own schools and communities, and some of the projects and programmes run by the Knysna clubs include assistance at old age and preschool facilities; Knysna Provincial Hospital; Epilepsy SA; Animal Welfare; Cansa; recycling and Biobricks; Christmas food packs and Santa boxes; NSRI life-saving buoys; appreciation of the female teachers at their schools on Women’s Day; feeding the hungry on Mandela Day; supplying school uniforms for needy learners; and sponsoring a runner to run in the
Comrades Marathon.
The range of projects that Knysna’s Interact members think of illustrates their willingness to live the motto of Rotary which is “service above self”. Knysna High regularly hosts the SA Blood Transfusion Service at the school, and Concordia High hosted an international dental week at their school in 2018, with the Interact members assisting the visiting professional personnel with necessary background support.
Knysna Rotary Club sponsors several annual Interact programmes for the benefit of Interact members, such as Know Your Town, a twoday event for Grade 10s where Interactors tour essential services in Knysna; and Outward Bound, a leadership course for Grade 11 learners.
Knysna Rotary Club awards the Santam Trophy for the best Interact club every year, of which the current holder is Percy Mdala High. The world Rotary president even awarded presidential citations to two local clubs last year, to Concordia High and Knysna High. We congratulate our local Interactors on World Interact Week, they deserve our support!
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